Shining a light on sacrifice: RBL remembers those who served in Bosnia, 30 years on
At dusk, veterans and their families joined an illuminated procession to mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the Bosnian War and to honour the 59 British personnel who lost their lives in one of the bloodiest conflicts in Europe since the end of the Second World War.
Hosted by the Royal British Legion (RBL), 'Remembering Operations in Bosnia' took place at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Attendees included Sir John Major, the prime minister at the time, and General Michael Rose, Commander of the UN Protection Force during the conflict in 1994.
Securing peace in the Balkans
British soldiers were first deployed to Bosnia in 1992 during the country's civil war, after the United Nations (UN) authorised the deployment of a multinational Protection Force, UNPROFOR.
Initially tasked with protecting aid convoys, the Army remained in the country on peacekeeping missions for almost 30 years.
Sunday, 14 December, marked the 30th anniversary of the final signing of the peace agreement that ended the Bosnian War in 1995, commemorated with a procession and votive lights placed beside the names of the 59 British personnel inscribed on the memorial.
Warren Howell, an Army veteran who served in the war with the Queen's Lancashire Regiment and was later supported by the RBL after developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), led the procession.
"It's been very emotional coming here today, and I want to thank the Royal British Legion for bringing us together and doing this for the Armed Forces community," he said.
"Bosnia was a difficult conflict. When you're there, you just react – you get fired upon, and you witness ethnic cleansing. But afterwards, it hits you, the mental health issues started and remained undiagnosed for years."
He added that when he returned, things got worse.
"I was having nightmares, flashbacks, I was angry all the time. The RBL helped me understand that PTSD tries to make you live the way that PTSD wants you to – avoiding social situations, keeping yourself protected and locked in, so that makes every day a challenge, but you have to keep going."
The service began with a flypast by a Wildcat helicopter, and an opening video address by Martin Bell, a former BBC war correspondent.
This was accompanied by a film featuring veterans sharing their experiences of the war, including reflections on how the efforts of the British Armed Forces in Bosnia made a difference to both the people who remained and those they protected.
Philippa Rawlinson, the Royal British Legion's Director of Remembrance, said: "We pay tribute to the immense courage and professionalism of the men and women of our British Armed Forces who were there in Bosnia, and who put themselves at risk to protect others.
"Thirty years on, the RBL continues to support Bosnia veterans living with the mental and physical challenges following their service in the war, and we will always be here for them."
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